Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bites (2024)

These Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bites are the perfect easy game day appetizer. Easy, cheesy, and full of flavor, everyone will love this bite size form of macaroni and cheese!

Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bites truly saved the day last week. I threw a last minute party and knew that this delicious, go to appetizer would be a fan favorite! And I was right! Everyone loved this easy, flavorful, make ahead appetizer. Thank you to Collective Bias and its advertisers for sponsoring this fun basketball party.

(Post updated 2024)

Last Saturday we had the pleasure of having some people over to eat, chat, and watch some college basketball for March Madness. The party was kind of last minute and I didn’t get to spend as much time planning as I normally do. I usually agonize over menus and decor for weeks, but this time, I honestly only had about 24 hours to prepare.

To make things easy, I went with simple basketball themed decor, like this basketball tablecloth (it is college basketball season, after all!) and an easy menu made up of snacks, dips, and co*ke products. Scroll to the ver bottom of this post for my ideas on how to throw an easy basketball party!

Instructional video for this recipe by Chef Dominique Harris

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I made my absolute favorite Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bites and as usual, they were a big hit! They are the perfect appetizer for the Super Bowl or any other sporting function because they are portable and can be easily eaten while watching the Big Game! If you have been wondering how to make macaroni and cheese bites, I have the perfect recipe for you!

How to make macaroni and cheese bites?

I have made these easy minimacaroni and cheese bites for so many functions and they are truly fool-proof. I love the taste and texture of these and find them a lot more flavorful than your regular macaroni and cheese. The herbed cheese really makes all the difference and I wouldn’t skip it! Since these need to stay together, they aren’t going to be as creamy as a bowl of stove top mac and cheese, but they are still super smooth and cheesy! Everyone always asks for this macaroni and cheese recipe!

These Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bitesare truly one of my favorite things to make. They are SO good. While I love Mac &Cheese, I often find homemade versions bland and dry. This recipe is neither of those things. It is kicked up with garlic and herb cheese and the buttery Ritz cracker crust adds tons of flavor as well. I love the crunch from the crust topped with the creaminess of the macaroni mixture.

How to make macaroni and cheese bites ahead of time

Even better, these can be made hours before hand and then just baked right before serving. And unlike most macaroni and cheeses, these do reheat well the next day for lunch! If making ahead of time, prepare as directed and then stop after mixing everything and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. They taste best freshly baked, so bake right before serving.

Whether you need food for a March Madness Party or a Super Bowl Party, I have some great ideas for you!

Ten Delicious Sandwich Recipes Perfect for Game Day

The Best Game Day Snacks

Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bites

These easy Mini Macaroni and Cheese Bites are so full of flavor and will be the biggest hit at any dinner! This is such a flavorful macaroni and cheese recipe thanks to the addition of the herb cheese!

CourseSide Dish

CuisineAmerican

Keywordmacaroni and cheese

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

12oz.elbow macaroniyou may have a little left over
5oz.of garlic and herb cheeseboursin, alouette, or even herbed cream cheese works, any soft spreadable herbed cheese
2 1/2cupsshredded sharp cheddar cheese
2tbsp.cold unsalted butter
2large eggs
3/4cupsmilk
1/4cupsour cream
pinchsalt and pepper
for the crust:
2cupscrushed Ritz Crackers
6tbsp.buttermelted
1/2cupshredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 2 mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
Begin by melting the 6 tbsp. of butter and then mixing in the crushed Ritz and the 1/2 cup cheddar. Press about 1 tsp. of crumb mixture into the bottom of the mini muffin tin. Press down until firmly packed. Crust should come up a little on the sides.
Prepare macaroni noodles. Cook in boiling water until a few minutes shy of al dente. When done, strain and then put into a large bowl. Add the herbed cheese, cheddar, sour cream, milk, eggs, cold butter, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until cheese is starting to melt and no large clumps remain.
Spoon about 1-2 tsp. of mixture into each well over the prepared crust. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes. If you try to remove them before that, they will crumble as you take them out. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges and then gently remove each one. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

These are meant to be a finger food, so they are not as creamy as a regular mac and cheese. They will not stay together if they had the same texture.

If you leave out the garlic and herb cheese, these will not have as much flavor. Feel free to add more salt and pepper to taste.

Looking for ideas for an easy basketball party? Here is what we had. These are all perfect appetizers for your next party!

Jalapeño Corn Dip

BBQ Chicken Nachos

REESE’S Peanut Butter Cup Dip

For the basketball party, I stuck with an easy color scheme of white and black,with orange accents. This seems ¨basketbally¨ to me and the white on black reminded me of the game officials. I grabbed all the decor at our local Giant Eagle’s gift wrap section and dollar stores, so it cost me less than $10 dollars for everything!

I used a black tablecloth for the table and then purchased a small roll of plain white wrapping paper. Using wrapping paper on tables is one of my favorite party decor tricks. It is cheap and I loved using this white paper because I was able to write the menu directly on it.